400th post, a giveaway, yard sale finds and Farmers Market all in one!

Wow! 400 posts- I don't really know what to think about that! I started this blog June 1, 2005. So in a little over 6 years, or 319 weeks or 2273 days- I wrote 400 posts, hum a little over one a week average.

So, maybe not so much a celebration but a reward for those who read my ramblings- I have a small giveaway.

I love this Tim Holtz rubber stamp set, so much that I bought two, opened them and didn't realize I already had. So, I am delighted for it to find a new home. I use the quotes and the little bird a lot. So, if you want this rubber set to come live with you or to pass it on to another who will love it, just comment on this post before next Saturday morning and I'll use the random number selector to choose a winner. Since my readership is certainly small you have an unusually good chance to win this prize and who knows what else might end up in your envelope!

Today's haul

The market was hot today and we got there by around 8:30 with a detour to the coffee shop (iced, please) and a yard sale (details to come). So, we didn't linger. The chicken is frozen and I didn't bring a proper storage bag and frozen blue thingy for toting. The blueberries are done-boo- and the bison woman wasn't there- boo hoo.  But, there's a box of blackberries, peaches, tomatoes, chicken, cabbage, flowers and an omelet!
Love the Cherokee Purple tomatoes. Bruschetta tonight!

the peaches looked great!

Jim has been loving these on his Shredded Wheat, which he eats dry- yuk

my omelet! 

The omelet had potatoes, kale, beens,onion, squash, choizo, goat cheese and some kind of Kenny's cheese. Yummy!

Aren't these flowers pretty?  Sweet William and a type of hydrangea I thought would be nice as a switch from the sunflowers.

These are growing on a fence in the alley we go home through. So inviting!

Baby O clothes

for later

little fleece jacket

I love little sets like this

for early fall

Isn't this the sweetest

for fall

another fall shirt

even sweeter

reversible

The reverse

who doesn't like bristle blocks?

needed one of these!

All my yard sale stuff was a total of 8.00! Baby O will be dressed to the hilt and travel in style!

Now don't forget to spread the word about my giveaway, if you don't mind the competition! And leave me a comment to be entered!

Hope you are somewhere cooler than here doing something fantastically fun! And just because I can't help myself, here are O and E!

O

E

More art and a giveaway to come

The sign in tag for the artist-my contact info is on back

Front of my page

I failed to post my art for Barbara's book. Her theme is Traveling the Road of Life-balancing Time.There were several sizes (all "large" to me) to choose from. I like folds so chose one with a flap. You could do one page or as many as you wanted. I ended up doing my chosen page front, inside and back.

opened flap

Inside

This is the page opened out inside.

close up of the quote

Back page

close up of quote

It was a fun book to work in and I love using quote stamps on art.

I always feel privileged to work in other's art pieces.





NEXT POST will be  my 400th!  I'll be doing a giveaway!

Farmers Market and a link to a star book

It is a dreary, humid day in KY so we headed out early to the market. It had a slower vibe, funny how weather affects everything! It was a big haul and heavy, too!
Here is a link to a star book, too! And here you can order all of the materials in a kit from my friend, Suzanne, at Quietfire Design.

another good week for these!

He had balloon flower and lilies, too, but I like these!

Gotta have some protein

garlic, yum

Anne was back and with this!!

Eat your veggies!

The first Cherokee Purples of the year!

I never tire of radishes-love them sauteed

Opted for a smaller version this week

ARen't these pretty?

Jim has a great recipe for these

We sure enjoyed these last week

I think the season is ending locally soon. She had half what she had last week.

I think we will head out to our other market now! Maybe find a few rummage sales along the way!

Two colors and zentangles

This is a part of a future star book that I am working in for another artist. I chose Y and Z and thought yellow and zentangle would be perfect for it. I like making zentangles! This also qualifies for the byhandartist challenge ( if you don't count black as a color and do count white!! or vice versa).The perfectionist in me hates that I got a blop of yellow in the zentangle. Rats.

details,

details

And more about seeds and sunflowers from church

I went to Sue's church today and even if it becomes "my" church, it will forever be Sue's church, Jeff Street Baptist Community Church. It is a wonderful place in downtown Louisville that welcomes all, is creative, inviting, warm, and has a lot going on.  I don't know how many people go there but on a given Sunday, I'd say about 60-80. That is a big change from the 1400 or so at my church in the suburbs.

It is inspiring to see a truly diverse group gathered with common purpose. I like a lot of things that they are doing. They welcome and feed the homeless several mornings a week, they have a coffee house where anyone is welcome to share a song, poem, guitar or other instrument and where homeless feel welcome and loved and their offerings appreciated. I haven't been to the Urban Goatwalker but I will soon. They eat together at least once weekly and believe that all can be ministers and preachers.

This morning a young woman who works at a center for refugees and immigrants here in Louisville shared a wonderful story of our diverse community and the lives that are touching hers.

The reading was the parable of the sower and the seeds that fell on varied ground. Part of the lesson was to be a sower, figuratively and literally, in unlikely places. There were sunflower seed packages for 10 people to take and sow in an unlikely, unwelcoming place and to report updates on in coming weeks. I waited until no one else wanted seeds and volunteered to take a pack. I knew just the spot.

The packet on top of the bulletin from worship

My side yard, which is about 6 feet from building to building has become a source of contention between the owner of the apartment next to us and us. The fence has been there for years, as has our air conditioner and further down, some lattice work supporting plants and a tiny 3 foot pond with fountain.  We love our back yard which is a tiny, secret garden away from the urban noise of the busy street on which we live. The part you will see is not the lovely refuge.

We may end up having to move the above mentioned "stuff" because of property lines and lawyers are involved where no lawyers should be necessary. But, long story short- I knew immediately this was an unlikely, unwelcoming place for something lovely especially under the current legal uncertainty. It also gets little sun and the dirt is poor.

Here is our unloved space

Here are my seeds

Here they are sown

 Let's see what comes of this. Perhaps a thing of beauty will spring up and discourse will be pushed out.
I did get inspired to remove the weeds in preparation, but the ground is still pretty unwelcoming.
More to come.

Well, you know, it's Saturday!

Aren't these luscious?

These are from the 2nds box but look ok to me!

I can't see spots on fruit without thinking of Joni Mitchell

Sunny

Happy

Glorious!

Sunflowers! The first of the year

texture

more texture

It was fabulous, as always

Farmers Market 7/2

We had a great time at the market this week! Picked up some favorites-blueberries, tomatoes, squash-having that tonight, apples, flowers-our poor flower folks, the weather has not been good for flowers that would be blooming now. There were precious few to be had but I got these, eggs, peaches, garlic and fennel. Yum!  We didn't go to our other market. It was getting hot.
I am not a hot weather fan.

Aren't these beauties?

another view

I like this little bouquet I added licorice plant, impatiens, and scented geranium leaves.